Darkness and Hope
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Ichigo, in a bout of depression over losing his powers, is offered the chance to explore an entirely new world by Urahara. However there is a catch Urahara never told him until after he leaves. Ichigo would be stuck in a ten-year-old body until he can come back home! Can Ichigo learn to open up with his companion's help, or will his depression come back? Ichigo/Nel
1. Chapter 1

Ichigo had sunk into a deep depression after the loss of his powers and near loss of his sister Yuzu. Isshin knew that because of what he was, his powers would eventually return...they just needed a good kick start.

But first he had to keep Ichigo from giving into his depression. Ichigo was a take action type of boy, one who didn't think twice about the danger if it meant helping others. The problem was that there weren't many jobs that would fit him and he was still in school. Well, home school anyway.

Isshin had pulled his son from public to keep an eye on him, and Ichigo flourished somewhat. It also kept the teachers from asking why Ichigo now carried a bokken around with him.

Isshin was training his son in kendo, using the Soul Reaper Academy as a basis. Ichigo took to them like a duck to water, but it wasn't enough. So Isshin decided a final desperate measure was needed.

He asked Urahara for advice.

* * *

"Hmm... We're close to finding a way to give Ichigo back his soul reaper powers, but we still need time. And from the way Ichigo's been acting that's one thing we don't have a lot of. Perhaps a change of scenery is needed," suggested Urahara.

"I was thinking the same thing, but it would be hard for Ichigo to leave Karakura."

"Actually I was thinking along the lines of an entirely different dimension," admitted Urahara.

"What?"

"Well back when I was still captain of Squad 12, I stumbled across a multi-verse portal that gives us the ability to travel to different worlds. You do know that Hueco Mundo was discovered entirely on accident right?"

"Go on," said Isshin. This could be just what Ichigo needed.

"Well we never had the opportunity to test the portal, because even though it was stable enough to keep it permanent, there wasn't anyone who was brave or desperate enough to try it. Well, that and old man Yamamoto said he would never sign off on letting anyone try it because they were having enough troubles with the hollows. Apparently he didn't want a repeat of the mess they caused when we first discovered them," said Urahara.

"Does it go both ways?"

"Of course it does. The only issue is finding a way to open a portal from the other side. How do you think we found the way back from Hueco Mundo? All we have to do is get Ichigo to agree to it."

"So long as he can come back, I think he'll agree. He's been in a slump for a while now."

* * *

"I just have to go there and wait for someone to come and use kido to bring me back right?" asked Ichigo.

"Yup~!" said Urahara. He neglected to mention that when he tested it earlier, he ended up a ten-year old kid. This was going to be fun! He had already left a camera where the portal let out so he could watch the look on Ichigo's face when he realized he de-age about six years. And just so he wouldn't be lonely, he was sending an old friend with Ichigo.

She was already there waiting for him. Urahara really couldn't wait to see the look on Ichigo's face when he realized who was waiting for him in a brand new gigai made just for her.

Ichigo sighed, pulled up his backpack, and walked through the portal. Urahara had already acquired enough cash for him to live on for a while in that world's currency, so he wouldn't be entirely helpless.

He walked through the portal, felt a falling sensation, and fell flat on his face.

"What the hell Urahara!" he yelled at the sky, knowing the man was watching anyway. He had seen where he would land.

Then he realized something. His voice wasn't as deep as it was normally. He looked down...and started swearing.

He was ten again! What the hell?!

The myriad of emotions that went across Ichigo's face went too quickly to be captured, but the one that stayed was extreme annoyance and his usual scowl.

Suddenly he heard someone coming up from behind and prepared for anything. Well, almost anything.

"ICHIGO!" squealed a certain green-haired girl with a skull-cap on her head.

"...Nel?" said Ichigo in shock.

Nel looked like a ten-year old, same as him. Where her hollow mask usually sat on her head was a cap that looked like a skull. Her hair was in a simple ponytail and she still had the odd markings on her face. While she was still acting like a child (despite being the previous Third Espada) this new form suited her better than her adult one. Ichigo noted that Urahara even gave her something new to wear.

She had a dark green hoodie with the names of her fraccion (and to his annoyance his name at the end) and a picture of the odd creature they sometimes rode on the back. She had a pair of brand new blue jeans with a white belt. Her shoes were brand new as well.

"What are you doing here Nel?"

"Urahara sent me as back-up! I can take you home via Hueco Mundo as an emergency exit!" she said proudly. It was one of the skills she had to relearn...how to open a Garganta. But the fact she had been chosen over Orihime to accompany Ichigo gave her all the incentive she needed. And to keep her fraccion safe, Urahara had given them free room and board in his training ground. As long as she could keep Ichigo from trying to go home before they found a way to bring back his powers, they could walk around the world of the living!

Well, that and she liked hanging around Ichigo.

"So where do we go first?" asked Ichigo.

"Urahara said we had to go to the big house on the hill! The man he talked to is waiting for us!" said Nel.

Ichigo hefted up his bag (he would have to check to see if his clothes still fit after the ride) and started walking. Nel hung back and looked like she wanted to ride on his shoulders like Yachiru did, but had enough sense not to. She would still tackle him with a hug if given the chance though.

* * *

Professor Samuel Oak heard someone knock on the door.

"Come in!" he called out...only to get toppled over by the massive stack of research papers he had lying around the place.

"GAH!"

A boy with orange hair and the cheerful green-haired girl from earlier (Urahara had introduced her and explained the problem with the boy he was sending here) helped him get out and cleaned up the mess.

"Sorry about that. Blasted Urahara left me with so many questions that I still don't have the answer to," said Oak jovially.

The orange haired boy winced.

"Yeah, he tends to do that," said the boy.

"Anyway, my name is Professor Oak. Urahara asked me to get you two started on your journey."

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"My name's Nel, but you already knew that!" said Nel excitedly. She had learned what Oak meant about journey earlier, and she couldn't wait!

"Well Ichigo, I have only a few questions before you get started. What is your favorite element?"

"What?"

"Well there are so many it's hard to pin down just one, but there's Grass, Fire, Water, Poison, Rock, Fighting, Ground, Ice, Dark, Psychic, Steel, Normal, Ghost, Dragon, Bug, Electric, and Flying. And there are so many combinations of them that it's hard to name them all!"

"Uh, Dark I suppose."

"Ghost!" said Nel. She couldn't wait to see Ichigo's reaction.

"Do you have a second element you like?"

"Fire, I suppose."

"Excellent! You're in luck because I just got a new set of starters from a friend of mine in Johto! They aren't the usual sort, but they'll work for someone such as yourself."

Oak handed Ichigo a ball of some material he didn't recognize. It was white and had odd striations on the top.

"This here is called a Great Ball. He gave up a bigger fight than normal, so you should have some fun learning with him," said Oak cryptically.

"And as for you young lady, we have this lady here. I expect you to keep her reasonably in line, since she's prone to mischief," said Oak, handing her a different ball that was red and white.

"What do I do with it?" asked Ichigo, confused.

"Just toss it in the air," said Oak.

Ichigo shrugged, and tossed it. The ball split in half and revealed a dog with a skull on its head. The coloring was primarily dark and had a red belly.

"Hound!"

Ichigo's eye twitched.

"What on Earth is he?"

"He's a Houndour. Nel, why don't you show him yours?" asked Oak.

She nodded and tossed her own ball.

"Mis!"

"That is a Misdrevius. It took my colleagues some time to catch her."

Misdrevius hovered around Ichigo for a moment before she went to Nel. The two started chatting like old friends, since the ghost Pokémon clearly recognized the two of them as familiar creatures.

Ichigo noted that his new friend looked ready to bite Oak, and he swiftly grabbed it by the base of the neck. The canine glared at him before it saw the look in Ichigo's eyes. They weren't brown, but rather an icy blue.

"None of that now. If you want to work out some of your aggression later we'll do it on my terms. Otherwise you'll deal with me pal," he said firmly.

The Houndour flinched at his look and was quiet when Ichigo put him back down. However he quickly recovered when Ichigo started scratching a certain spot that had his back leg going nuts. Oak watched the interaction with interest.

"Astounding! I would have thought he would prove to be stubborn, but you have him calmed with only a few words!" said Oak impressed.

"I like animals. And you just have to let them know whose boss," said Ichigo.

"So are you going to name him?"

Ichigo considered his new friend. There was something about the canine that reminded him of someone, but he couldn't figure out who. That is, until he heard the dog's chuff when he saw Nel's new ghost friend.

"Kenpachi! That's who you remind me of!" said Ichigo. The dog reminded him of a canine Kenpachi! Always willing to fight for the hell of it.

And so, Ichigo's new canine Pokémon was named Kenpachi.

* * *

Two months after his arrival into this new dimension, Ichigo was reasonably ready to leave Oak's lab. He and Nel had stayed around for a while in order to get accustomed to the new world and to learn how to use their Pokémon in battle instead of charging in themselves. Ichigo spent some of his free time reading Oak's books on Pokémon, and Oak let him since the boy helped around his lab.

Nel had named her new Misdrevius Yume. The two got along like a building on fire.

Of course that was nothing compared to the reaction Ichigo had when he learned Urahara had come and gone in the middle of the night and left several things he would need later.

Like a modified soul pager that would let him call his family.

Ichigo was about to leave the lab when a boy came running in, obviously having slept in too long.

Oak had recently gotten a new shipment of the standard starters, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, with a rather cranky Pikachu since the people didn't know what to do with the mouse.

The first time it shocked Ichigo, Ichigo got into a staring contest and won. His ability to win over any Pokémon was something Oak never got tired of, since it made taking care of them much easier.

Ichigo realized the kid had come for his first Pokémon and winced. The only one left was that damn Pikachu, who didn't like to work with humans. The only one it would listen to was Ichigo, since he didn't tolerate disobedience.

"Bad luck kid. All we got left is the spark-plug," said Ichigo cryptically.

The kid soon learned what Ichigo meant with he brought out the Pikachu and it turned him into a lightning rod. Nel giggled on the side and the kid glared at the Pikachu. Still, he didn't have any other choice unless he wanted to wait another month.

Apparently Ash (Ichigo finally heard his name from Oak) was willing to deal with a reluctant Pikachu rather than wait.

* * *

Ash was very surprised when Ichigo and Nel joined him.

"Aren't you guys Professor Oak's lab assistants?"

"Not really. We were only staying there so he could learn more about our power and because I helped around the lab. My name's Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Hi! I'm Nelliel, but you can just call me Nel!" said Nel with a chirp.

"I'm Ash! Ash Ketchum!"

"Well now that introductions are out-of-the-way, shall we get going? As fun as Oak's lab is, I need to get out and explore," said Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't notice it, but being away from the constant chance of fighting hollows and seeing his friends get stronger without him had done wonders for his temperament. Nel had noticed three days in that his depression was finally gone.

Ichigo noticed that Ash had Pikachu on a rope, since every time he tried to put the mouse in the ball it kicked it away.

"While I approve leaving him out, I don't think the rope is a good idea."

"Why not?"

"It will simply direct any electric shocks straight up your arm."

"But my gloves will keep it from hitting me!" said Ash.

"Yes, but all he would have to do is direct it towards you and you'll get electrocuted. Besides, he's supposed to be your partner right? What sort of example are you giving him by not showing him any trust?" said Ichigo.

"What about your partner?" asked Ash.

"Come on out, Kenpachi!" said Ichigo.

The black and red canine came out with a howl, and went immediately to Ichigo. They had come to an understanding a few days ago. Kenpachi would follow Ichigo's commands in exchange for being allowed out of the ball more often. It helped that Ichigo had a habit of playing fetch with the dog. Kenpachi loved to play and run around, when he wasn't fighting the older Pokémon.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" asked Ash.

"It's a Houndour. It's from the Johto region. Since you're just starting out, you'll have to live with using a Kanto region Pokédex. Professor Oak said once you had a few Gym Badges in your belt he would upgrade it to include the Johto one," said Ichigo.

"What about yours?"

"I got the Johto standard. One of his friends sent it over, since it had both Johto and Kanto databases loaded into it. Once I have a few more Pokémon in my repertoire, they said that I would get an upgraded model. Nel has the same one I do," said Ichigo.

Actually he had been given the one with both regions because he and Nel had starter Pokémon from Johto, and it was easier giving them one with both rather than just one. In a lot of ways Ichigo was similar to Ash, except he knew how to fight without his Pokémon beside him.

"What about her?"

"No, no way am I letting Yume out unless it's time to battle! Do you have any idea what sort of headaches you could get trying to understand what those two are saying? And don't get me started on the pranks!" said Ichigo quickly. Kenpachi groaned in unison.

Ash was so frustrated with Pikachu's refusal to work with him (he barely liked working with Ichigo, and that was because he sensed something sleeping in the boy!) that he threw a stone. Ichigo hadn't been in time to stop him, but when he saw what the kid hit he paled.

"While I applaud your excellent aim with that rock, right now I'm more concerned with the fact you just hit a Spearow," said Ichigo a little too calmly.

"So?"

"So the Spearow in this area are mean little bastards and you just made it furious. At _us_. And an angry flock of Spearow are about as bad as an angry hive of Beedrill."

"...So we should be running?" said Ash, his face paling as much as Ichigo was.

"SPEAROW!" came the loud cry from the tree ten feet away from the one he just hit.

"Nel, grab Pikachu! Ash, hold on!" said Ichigo, grabbing the kid by the hand and practically using Shun Po to get the hell out of there. Nel wasn't far behind him using the Espada equivalent. Pikachu wisely didn't try to shock her at the speed they were going at.

Ichigo did noticed some sort of rainbow bird flying above him, that he would later find out was called Ho-oh.


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo finally paused about a mile or two later, with a badly shocked Ash and a rather quiet Pikachu behind him.

"What the heck was that?!" said Ash. He had never been that fast before in his life!

"Running. Did you want to get pecked to death by Spearows?" asked Ichigo rhetorically.

Ichigo turned to Ash.

"Anyway, have you learned your lesson?"

"Don't throw rocks in areas were wild Pokémon happen to be in?" asked Ash.

Ichigo bonked him on the head.

"No, don't treat Pokémon like things. If I catch you trying to drag Pikachu behind you again, I'll hit harder. Pokémon have feelings just like you do, so respect them or else," said Ichigo.

Ash took the threat seriously. Ichigo hit _hard_.

Ichigo had only spent two months here, but he was very close to his partner Kenpachi. The two got along just fine when he notice the canine's protective nature to those younger than him. And despite his appearance, Ichigo was a sixteen-year-old with two younger sisters.

And he didn't see Pokémon as creatures that you used only for battles. He saw them the same way he saw his zanpakuto or his hollow half. As comrades in arms.

It was because of this that he got along so well with even the most obstinate ones, who recognized him for what he was. A fellow warrior who sought to get stronger through battle and training. Even the fully evolved Pokémon respected him.

Ash, who never had an older brother, followed Ichigo around a bit like a duckling. Something about the way Ichigo talked and acted said he was much more experienced about the world. And it seemed Ichigo had no issues with the way Ash acted around him.

So when they passed a water Pokémon trainer who was out looking for new additions to her team, Ichigo felt the need to warn her about the flock.

"This brainiac hit a Spearow earlier. They're out looking for blood, so avoid that direction if possible."

The girl paled and thanked him for the warning. Sadly it didn't help, when five minutes later one of the bird Pokémon spotted Ichigo's distinct hair color from above. With a loud cry, the flock dive bombed the group.

Ichigo looked up, cursed, then brought out Kenpachi.

"Kenpachi, Protect!"

Oak had taught his Houndour that move as a pun on Ichigo's name. He seemed to think it rather amusing. Ichigo didn't, though he did like the fact it made an almost impenetrable shield for as long as it worked.

The shield worked, and the Spearow crashed into an invisible wall. They were all about to unleash a large amount of peck, scratch and fury attack on the group if Kenpachi hadn't brought the shield up in time.

The attack worked like Ichigo hoped, the Spearow, who had been dive bombing and crashed, were stunned enough that they could run.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" yelled Ichigo. Brave and self-sacrificing he may be, but an idiot he was not. Not sane person would try to fight off that many birds when they were pissed off! That was suicide!

(Well, that and he had seen _**The Birds **_when he actually _was_ ten, and it had left an impression on his mind.)

Ichigo scooped up Kenpachi, Nel grabbed Ash and Pikachu again, and the girl they had stopped by jumped on her bike and sped out of there like a bat out of hell. She almost managed to keep up with the trio.

* * *

Ichigo skidded to a stop at the Viridian City limits. The Spearow were relentless and didn't want to stop until they had drawn blood. You would think they would have run out of steam by now, but noooo...they were able to chase them all the way to Viridian.

"What the heck is going on here?" demanded the officer.

According to Oak the woman's name was Jenny and there was an entire family full of women named Jenny who worked as officers. The same went with the nice ladies at the Pokémon Centers. Ichigo had no idea why that was, but chalked it up to a genetic abnormality.

**(Frankly I blame the creators of the series for being extremely lazy, but that's just me.)**

"A certain idiot pissed off a flock of cranky Spearow!" said Ichigo, taking a deep breath. Ash looked away embarrassed, but Jenny didn't ask. Instead she noted the decent sized cloud of Spearow heading their way.

"Right, you kids get to the Pokémon Center, I'll go get a few trainers out here to take care of them. Why didn't you try to catch one?" she asked.

"Because I'm not suicidal enough to try to capture a furious Spearow when there's a flock of them nearby," said Ichigo flatly. Officer Jenny conceded his point.

While Ash learned a few things from Nurse Joy, Ichigo took the time to restore his energy from all that running. Because they were in such a hurry to avoid being attacked by angry birds, none of the three had any chance to catch another Pokémon.

* * *

Suddenly his soul pager rang and Ichigo flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"_NII-SAN!_" came the happy cry of Yuzu.

"Hey Yuzu! How are things at home?"

"_Boring. Dad said he's glad you don't sound so sad anymore."_

Ichigo's eyes twitched.

"Think you could pass a message on to dad for that storekeeper he likes to visit?"

"_Sure Ichi-nii!"_

"'Urahara, next time I see you, I'm sicking Kenpachi on you.'"

"_I'll be sure to tell him Ichi-nii!"_

"Good, now how have things been at home?"

Ash and the girl they had helped by accident from being attacked by Spearow (many trainers in Viridian took the chance to catch a few for their teams) waited until he was done before they joined him.

"Who was that?" asked Ash.

"My little sister Yuzu. Her twin Karin and my dad apparently left her alone for the day, and she was lonely. She was just catching me up on what's happening back home," said Ichigo.

"You have sisters?" asked the girl.

"Yuzu and Karin. Just those two," said Ichigo proudly.

"I have several older sisters myself. My name's Misty," said the girl.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Hi! I'm Nelliel! You can call me Nel!" said the cheerful green-haired girl.

"Cool hat," commented Misty.

"Thanks!"

Ichigo and Nel's partners were being healed (Oak may be a Professor, but it had taken several trial and errors before Ichigo learned how to operate the lone machine in Oak's lab that healed Pokémon.) Ash and Misty properly introduced themselves.

* * *

While they were relaxing for the near death experience (for the natives anyway. Ichigo and Nel counted it as a damn good workout) Ichigo booked some rooms in the Pokémon center for the night. Oak was very impressed that they got there so quickly...right up until the point Ichigo broke his bubble by informing him that Ash had pissed off a flock of Spearow.

Suddenly there was a crash, and the lights flickered. Ichigo was out of his bed in an instant.

Someone was trying to steal the Pokémon!

Ichigo was rubbing his forehead. He didn't know _how_ a Meowth could talk, and frankly he could care less. All he knew was that Ash had a long way to go, Misty was useless, and he had very little sleep.

Spying Nel nearby, an evil though came to him...

"Hey Nel, come here for a minute..." said Ichigo grinning. This was going to be funny.

Nel brightened up when she realized what Ichigo had in mind, and grinned. Right as the red-haired woman was about to leave on the blimp, she felt something crash into her.

"Nel Super Tackle!"

Ichigo had given Nel candy, which was dangerous in her toddler form, and absolutely devastating in her ten-year-old form, which had more power behind it. Nel jumped around like a ping pong ball, ruining Team Rocket's plan to steal the Pokémon as the balls fell from the net.

Misty, Ash and Nurse Joy stared at the green-haired girl in shock.

"Good job Nel!" said Ichigo, patting her on the head. Nel grinned.

"Remind me never to give her candy," said Ash. The other two nodded.

* * *

Ash finally got Pikachu to work with him by the time they entered the Viridian Forest. He also managed to get a Caterpie which freaked Misty out because she hated bugs. Ichigo found that amusing, but not so much when he nearly sat on a Weedle by accident and it decided to spear him with its tiny horn. Ash had nearly laughed himself sick when he realized Ichigo nearly sat on a Weedle horn.

Misty and Nel got along well enough, despite the fact Nel was so cheerful and acted a few years younger than she actually was. Ichigo was just glad she didn't talk like a four-year-old and instead spoke like a childish ten-year-old.

At least he didn't get a headache translating her speech.

"Hey Ichigo, exactly how old are you anyway? You talk like a teenager," asked Misty.

Ichigo and Nel froze.

"What makes you ask?"

"Well you don't act like any ten-year-old I know, but you do act like one of my older sisters," said Misty.

"Do you know what my name is supposed to mean Misty?" asked Ichigo cryptically.

"I know it means strawberry," she said.

"Yes, but there is another meaning. Most people assume my parents named me 'Strawberry', but according to my mother, it's supposed to translate as 'One Who Protects'. The reason I sound so mature is because I had to protect my younger sisters," said Ichigo.

"Wow! That make sense!" said Misty.

"And do you know the reason older siblings are put on this earth Misty?" asked Ichigo.

"Why?"

"It's to protect their younger siblings who come after them. I knew someone who had almost forgotten that before I straightened them out."

He straightened and cracked his back.

"Anyway, now's the perfect time for some training. Ash, I want you and Pikachu to battle some bug Pokémon. The best way for you two to bond properly is through hard work and battling. Nel, you go with him and work with Yume. I'm going to iron out a few katas with Kenpachi. If any of you get injured come over to me and I'll heal you right up," said Ichigo.

"Wow Ichigo-kun, you're really prepared!" said Misty.

"I'm the son of a doctor. And Nurse Joy gave me some surplus medical supplies. I can treat anything except a broken leg, but I do have some splints. So don't go too wild," said Ichigo.

It was mostly true. While Ichigo wasn't any good in emergency situations (Karin and Yuzu were better than him) he was qualified to heal most minor injuries. Most of the books he read in Oak's lab were anatomy books, so he could treat most Pokémon injuries too.

The problem was that he was usually the one in need of treatment. And after Orihime got those healing powers of hers, his aid wasn't needed. Though every time he left his house, he always took an emergency kit in case Orihime wasn't available. Only Chad knew about it though, since Ichigo once treated him before school.

Misty decided to train with her team, and she kept half an eye on Ichigo. Seeing him perform several rather complex tricks using his legs and hands, she could only conclude he was a martial arts fan. One who had quite a bit of training.

"GAH!" yelled Ash.

Ichigo winced.

"Come on Kenpachi, let's go see what happened."

* * *

Ichigo was trying hard not to laugh, but he failed miserably. Ash had accidentally stepped on Pikachu's tail and it electrocuted him again. While they had reached an understanding, they still had a long way to go before they were partners.

Kenpachi wasn't as reserved, he was on the ground howling. Nel just giggled.

Finally he controlled his laughter and asked Ash if he had gotten any experience in.

So far Ash had gotten his Caterpie to evolve into Metapod, but Ichigo waved that news off. Caterpie was easy to evolve, and it rarely took long to get a Butterfree.

Though Ichigo had no interest in getting Beedrill. Those things were mean!

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit! WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG! GRAB YOUR GEAR AND HAUL ASS!" yelled Ichigo.

Once again, things had gone pear-shaped because of Ash's temper. While Ichigo had hoped Ash had learned his lesson with the Spearow, apparently he hadn't. At least this time he didn't throw a rock at the nest.

Misty was nearly catatonic and being dragged by an equally panicky Nel. Ash had Pikachu in his arms and Ichigo was about to grab his wrist again. He didn't have anything to treat an allergy attack, and he had no idea if people could get an allergic reaction from a Beedrill sting like they could from a bee sting back home. He wasn't about to take his chances, and he really didn't want to perform an emergency tracheotomy*.

Finally they found a nearby stream that was deep enough, and Ichigo found some reeds that would work as straws to breathe through. Sometimes it was better to wait it out rather than run.

Half an hour later the Beedrill gave up and they left the stream. Ichigo cuffed Ash on the head.

"Once was an accident, twice is a pattern. I'm teaching you martial arts."

"Huh?"

"You've nearly gotten us killed _twice_. I'm going to teach you hand-to-hand combat so you can learn how to calm down before you get yourself killed," said Ichigo bluntly.

Misty nodded in agreement.

They set their gear out to dry while Ichigo got Ash started. Thanks to his training and the fact he was stronger than he looked, he got Ash hooked on martial arts simply by destroying a small log. He even had Pikachu join in so it wouldn't feel left out.

Misty and Nel decided to set up camp and went fishing. They stayed away from the Beedrill, who were still mad. By the time Ichigo called it quits, Ash and Pikachu were exhausted. But they were rather happy about it.

Ash and the others spent the next three days in the forest, training both their Pokémon and themselves. Each night Ichigo put him through basic martial arts training. Sometimes he showed Ash how to meditate through movement, since Ichigo had a feeling the boy wouldn't be able to sit still that long.

At least Ichigo didn't have to go to his second idea, which was have Pikachu give Ash a shock if he didn't get it right. He had a feeling the boy wouldn't like it as much then.

* * *

***A tracheotomy is when you open a hole all the way through the trachea, which is located in the throat. This is so the airway can open up enough to get air, even if the throat is blocked. This can help someone suffering an allergic reaction that can't breathe and you don't have their medicine on hand. Only someone who knows what they're doing should use this, as it can kill if you do it wrong! **


	3. Chapter 3

Ichigo was glad to be out of the forest. He really hated Beedrill now. The damn things kept showing up and trying to sting them.

"So that's Pewter City huh? I heard it's famous for it's fossil collection," said Ichigo.

Ichigo was about to sit down when he noticed something odd about the rock.

"Five hundred for that rock sonny-boy," said the man gruffly.

Ichigo blinked, but handed it over. Misty would have protested about the fact it was a simple rock, but she saw the way Ichigo was looking at it. He hefted it on his shoulder and they headed into town.

Ash and Misty were wondering why he paid for the rock when he dumped a little water on it. Suddenly it unfurled into a less than happy Geodude.

They were floored.

"How did you know?"

"Call it sixth sense. I could tell it wasn't really a rock which is the only reason I paid for it."

Ichigo went down to eye level with the annoyed Rock Pokémon.

"Tell you what. Would you like to join me or do you want to battle like normal?"

"Geo, Geodude."

"Battle it is then. Let's head outside town."

"Dude."

* * *

"Kenpachi, Flamethrower!"

"HOUND!"

A long stream of flame erupted from the Houndour's mouth. It hit the Geodude head on, and it was only because the Pokémon used withdraw that it was able to survive. Geodude used Rock Throw, and starting chucking rocks at Kenpachi who dodged using Agility.

Running with Ichigo taught the Houndour that speed is sometimes more effective than strength.

"Kenpachi, Bite!"

The Houndour latched onto the Geodude who cried out in pain, before conceding defeat.

Ichigo put his new Pokémon in the Pokéballs Oak had given all three of them before they left, and decided to name him after he got a better idea of his personality. First he needed to heal his team and take a day off.

* * *

Ichigo spotted a teen trying to keep his younger siblings in line at the nearby park. He grinned, remembering his dad having similar trouble before his mother died.

He decided to help the poor guy and a sharp whistle got the attention of the children.

"I know it's fun playing with your big brother in the park, but don't you think it would be more fun if he didn't have to keep taking time away just to keep track of you? Why don't you play a team game or something?" said Ichigo.

The teen shot him a look of gratitude.

That being said, Ichigo spent most of his day off while his team healed at the Pokémon Center helping the teen keep control of his rather large group.

"Thanks for the help. Today was one of my few days off and I promised them we'd go to the park," he said embarrassed. Ichigo couldn't help but feel this guy was similar to Chad, only he didn't seem to have a thing for cute animals or inhuman strength.

"Trust me, I know the feeling. I have a pair of twin sisters back home who are almost as bad. Karin can be a real handful on her own and Yuzu is a trouble magnet," said Ichigo, waving him off.

"My name's Brock," said the teen, holding out his hand.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he replied, shaking it.

With the help of Ichigo, Brock and his younger siblings had a lot of fun. Ichigo acted as referee with Brock while they played soccer. It helped that Ichigo knew the rules through Karin.

When they split up, Ichigo ran into Ash who was ready for today's training.

They spent the rest of the night practicing katas. Ichigo admitted that Ash made fewer mistakes than he did before.

"So do you think I should challenge the Gym in town?" asked Ash.

"If we hadn't spent the last three days training in that forest, I would have said no. But you're as ready as you can be to face a Gym battle. However, I have an idea. Instead of facing him directly from the start, why don't you let me go first so you can get an idea for his strategies?"

"Are you aiming for the Pokémon League too Ichigo?" asked Ash. It was one of the things they had yet to get out of the boy...what his motivation for training Pokémon was.

Ichigo was the default leader of their small group, with Nelliel a close second. This was mostly because both of the others felt the presence of actual experience of fighting...and not with Pokémon either. Ichigo knew how to lead, and to keep them out of trouble. Plus he was a competent healer, which they learned the hard way as he bandaged up Beedrill stings.

Ichigo was happy to learn that unlike back in his own world, Beedrill stings didn't cause an allergic reaction if hit multiple times. Still, he wasn't pleased at having to restock his First Aid kit with the surplus Nurse Joy was able to give him.

It seemed the Viridian City Nurse Joy had told her of a young trainer with bright orange hair traveling with a girl with lime green hair and a skull cap who thought ahead about both sets of injuries. Pokémon and Human.

Ichigo took that to mean that the Pokémon Centers would be told about him, since he was so unusual. If it meant keeping them alive and in good health, he had no problems with that.

Ichigo didn't see any reason not to humor the kid, after all they would be traveling buddies as far as he could tell.

"My dad sent me here with my friend Nel in order to get over a couple of friends of mine going away. I hope to see them again someday, but until then I'll be joining you right up until the Pokémon League," said Ichigo.

Then he noted that Ash was getting off track and grinned mischievously. If he was stuck as a ten-year-old, then he was going to enjoy it!

"But first, you're going to have to be able to keep up with me!" said Ichigo. He playfully pulled Ash's favorite hat down on his head, and the boy squawked. Soon the two started wrestling for the fun of it, to Nel's amusement as she joined in.

* * *

Ichigo wasn't the least bit surprised to find Brock in the Gym. Brock had mentioned that he took odd jobs to keep the family afloat while his dad was gone, and one of the best paying jobs for someone his age was that of a Gym Leader. In fact it was one of the only ones that he could possibly take since he was closer to Ichigo's actual age than anything.

"Yo," said Ichigo, raising a hand in greeting.

Brock grinned. Somehow, he had a feeling he would be seeing Ichigo again.

"Hey," said Brock, raising his own hand.

Ash looked between the two of them.

"You two know each other?"

"I ran into him on his day off and helped him control a herd of ravenous monsters," quipped Ichigo.

Brock withheld a laugh, because the way his siblings attacked the ice cream and pizza was something out of a horror movie.

"Ravenous monsters?" said Ash worried.

"My younger siblings," said Brock amused, "So which of you is challenging me today?"

"I am. I figured I could give Ash a chance to see what he's about to deal with later," said Ichigo.

"Don't forget me!" said Nel.

Brock sweatdropped. He normally only got one challenger at a time, but today he had _three._ At least he didn't have to worry about the second girl, because he knew she was one of the Sisters from Cerulean City. She was a fellow Gym Leader!

"Challenger Ichigo Kurosaki from Karakura Town against Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City! Challenger may switch Pokémon at any time and healing items are allowed! This is a two-on-two battle! First to knock out both Pokémon is the winner!" said the referee.

"I hope you're ready Ichigo, because I won't be pulling any punches. Go, Geodude!"

"Geo!"

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Go, Emeth!"

"GEO!"

Brock gave Ichigo a look.

"Emeth?"

"Back home there are these creations called golems who come to life through sorcery. According to the legends, there is supposed to be a piece of paper with the word Emeth inside, and if you removed the first 'E' it turns back into a lifeless doll."

"And since Geodude's final evolution is called Golem..." said Brock, seeing where Ichigo's reasoning went.

"Well that and it was the first thing to come to mind."

Brock was just amused Ichigo decided to challenge him with the same Pokémon he had just sent out.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!"

"Emeth, use Earthquake!"

Brock looked surprised as the earth shook.

His Geodude was so shaken it couldn't dodge the Rollout attack Ichigo sent his way.

"Geo..." Brock's Geodude was out cold.

"Geodude is unable to battle! Emeth and Ichigo are the winners!"

Ichigo beamed at his Geodude.

"I don't get it. How did yours know Earthquake?" asked Brock. The Rollout attack didn't surprise him, it was easy to figure out how to teach that one, but Earthquake didn't come to a Geodude until they were about ready to evolve.

Ichigo looked slightly embarrassed.

"I bought a rock outside town, because I had the feeling it wasn't a rock at all. When I went to check on the man who sold it to me, he was looking over this disk that said Earthquake on the side like it was broken. I found out by accident that he had left it on the rock and it activated without him knowing about it."

"You bought a Geodude that was taught Earthquake by accident?" said Brock. That was some really weird luck.

"Technically I bought a rock that I was fairly certain wasn't a rock at all that happened to have that move in it's arsenal. I did give him the option of a fair fight before I put him in the ball though."

Brock liked Ichigo's sense of fairness. It was more than most trainers had.

"In that case... I suppose it's time to kick things up a notch. Go, Onix!"

"Emeth return! Go, Kenpachi!" shouted Ichigo.

The Houndour had grown a bit, and from what Ichigo's Pokédex told him Kenpachi was at least level sixteen.

Ichigo's Pokédex was black and the buttons were white. On the front of his device was the same skull that was on his Substitute Soul Reaper badge and the inside had a four swords. On one side was Ichigo and Shiro's version of Zangetsu (shikai form) and on the other was the bankai form. Ichigo's swords were pointed up while Shiro's were pointed down.

Urahara had helped Oak and his friend in Johto design Ichigo and Nel's devices, and they had functions Ichigo had no idea about that would come into play later when Ichigo's spirit energy finally started to come back.

"Onix, use Tackle!"

"Kenpachi, run up Onix and use flamethrower!"

Kenpachi ran along Onix's snake like body and sent a flamethrower right in the rock snake's face. The rock Pokémon squawked in surprise, but was relatively unharmed. Ichigo knew that he had caught Brock by surprise, and that none of his current team had any type advantage to Brock's rock only team.

In fact, Ichigo was almost positive that Brock was taking things easy on any trainers coming from Pallet Town, because unless they picked Squirtle he had a type advantage. The forest was filled with Bug, Flying and Normal types, unless they caught a Magikarp and evolved it into Gyarados they wouldn't have a water Pokémon to fight with.

Which was highly unlikely as most people seemed content to simply capture a Gyarados and skip the Magikarp.

So Ichigo improvised. His Pokédex did have a function that told him all the moves his team had (he learned that after the man who sold him the Geodude told him about it) so he knew exactly what Kenpachi could do.

As the Onix attempted to Bind Kenpachi, Ichigo had the hellhound puppy dodge using a large amount of Agility. It was something like Ichigo dodging using Tensa Zangetsu or a lot of Shun Po in shikai form. Finally Ichigo launched his most powerful attack.

"Kenpachi, Fire Fang!"

"Hound!"

Kenpachi's mouth erupted in flames as his teeth were coated in fire. Onix was out for the count once Kenpachi latched onto it.

"Onix is unable to battle! The winner is Ichigo Kurosaki of Karakura Town and Kenpachi!" said the referee.

"Impressive. I didn't expect your Pokémon to know that move."

"According to Professor Oak, Kenpachi knew that move from the egg. He just needed help refining the power levels."

"As the winner, I award you the Boulder Badge. Congrats Ichigo," said Brock.

Ichigo grinned and put it in the badge case that he had bought earlier. Like his Pokédex, it had something from home. This time it was the symbols for the Gotei Thirteen. Thirteen different flowers plus the symbols for the Stealth Force, the Kido Force and the Royal Guard. Yet another gift from Urahara.

The bag, though was a gift from his father. Inside was his music (he found he could just capture an electric Pokémon to charge the batteries, though he mostly borrowed Pikachu who apparently liked ketchup enough to be bribed with it), a laptop (which had apparently been outfitted with an internet connection to his home dimension and one of the tabs set to his high school which he learned after deciding to try home school for a while had a page where you could do the homework without suffering the class. He was currently in the lead grades wise, which annoyed Uryu something fierce because Ichigo no longer had to stay up late at night to deal with hollows.) another first aid kit from his father who went all out so he was equipped to deal with almost anything in the field, some books Ichigo could read in his free time, and snacks.

The bag looked quite a bit like the one Hanataro used, only the coloring was very different and it had a lot more space. The strap for instance was red like the one Zangetsu used to rest in, and the bag itself was more blue than green. And instead of the symbol for the fourth division, Isshin put something that Masaki sometimes wore on her clothes. He didn't know what it was and he had never asked. Ichigo, however, always thought it looked very familiar for some reason. Ichigo also stored his clothes inside the bag inside a waterproof bag as a just in case measure.

He was both surprised and relieved that the clothes had shrunk to fit his younger self.

Ichigo healed his team and went to the local library and picked up a few books to kill time while Ash and Nel tried their luck. Nel easily beat Brock, but Ash had to challenge Brock again because he lost spectacularly.

Brock healed his team between battles, but eventually Ash won his Boulder Badge.

* * *

"...The old man I bought Geodude from was your dad? The same one who ditched the family and you haven't heard from since?" said Ichigo incredulous.

Brock had an evil grin on his face when he told Ichigo the news that his father would take over the Pewter City Gym until he came back...and taking care of the kids. Ichigo laughed with him.

"Cruel but fitting. Seems like your dad is just as messed up as mine."

"How bad is yours?"

"He wakes me up every morning by attacking me. I generally knock him out of the window or into a nearby wall. Plus his standard greetings is embarrassing when you get home a little too late."

"We have messed up fathers don't we?" asked Brock sweatdropping.

"True...but at least the payback is always satisfying," said Ichigo grinning.

(Insert Fist Bump)

Meanwhile Ash, Misty and Nel sweatdropped at how well the two got along. It was spooky...


	4. Chapter 4

_**WHOOT! TODAY'S MY 25TH BIRTHDAY! QUARTER OF A CENTURY OLD BABY!**_

* * *

Orihime and Chad were worried. They hadn't seen hide or hair of Ichigo for over a month, and they usually ran into at least _once_ a month even if by accident. Even Uryu was wondering where he was, since Ichigo's grades had suddenly shot up like a rocket.

So, in the spirit of checking on their friend/leader, Orihime lead the group of four to see what happened to Ichigo.

It was Karin who enlightened them, since she had helped her father pack the bag he gave Ichigo.

"Dad and that annoying guy with the bucket hat and clogs sent Ichigo away with some girl named Nelliel. Ichigo calls us occasionally, but from what we've been able to tell he's finally out of his depression."

"Where did they send Ichigo?" asked Orihime. Behind her Tatsuki, Chad and Uryu looked at Karin with interest.

"No idea. But he did have Yuzu send Bucket head a weird message the other day."

"What message?" asked Tatsuki.

"Next time I see you, I'm sending Kenpachi after you," said Karin.

And with that, the group went to find Rukia, who occasionally came to visit.

* * *

"Ichigo's not in the Soul Society. Believe me, we would know if he was there," said Rukia with obvious confusion.

"Then why would he have his sister tell Urahara that he plans to set Kenpachi on him the next time he sees him?" asked Uryu.

"I have no idea. I'll ask Captain Zaraki."

An hour later, Rukia had it confirmed. Ichigo was _not_ in any of the known areas. Even Grimmjow confirmed that 'Berry Boy' wasn't in Hueco Mundo.

Which had them baffled.

Finally Tatsuki became the voice of reason of the group and as one they walked to Urahara's store for answers.

* * *

"Ichigo? Haven't seen him in nearly three months now," said Urahara grinning. This would be funny. He already had a plan on how to deal with them and would still prove amusing.

Because part of the reason Ichigo had slipped into a deep depression was because he was constantly reminded that he didn't have powers by being around his friends. And if they pressed the matter, he would send them to a completely different world from Ichigo until the boy got his powers back.

Besides, he needed to let out his prankster side occasionally.

And just like predicted, three of the five people there insisted on finding Ichigo and dragging him back.

(Rukia, Uryu and Orihime. Chad and Tatsuki figured that as long as he wasn't depressed he could enjoy his vacation. Orihime just didn't want Ichigo to fall for Nel. She had no idea of their current condition.)

"If you're so worried I can send you through the same portal I sent Ichigo through. I'll even temporarily erase the memories of everyone so you don't get into trouble," said Urahara.

Rukia's eyes glinted as she immediately went to contact her brother to get his permission. Uryu just called his father and got the okay since it meant he would have to take a break from hollow-hunting until he came back.

While they were making arrangements, Tatsuki and Chad spoke to Urahara out of earshot.

"You're not actually sending them after Ichigo are you?" asked Tatsuki.

"Not a chance. Ichigo was depressed partly because he felt so useless around his own friends. Besides, this gives him a chance to fall for Nel without interference from Rukia or Orihime."

"Where are you sending them, then?" asked Chad.

"A world of shinobi. I'll even give Rukia a device that will bring them back...in a month. That should give them time to cool off on some half-cocked mission to drag Ichigo back prematurely."

"How safe is this world?" asked Tatsuki. She cared about Ichigo, but she didn't want to ruin his rare vacation from all the stress he dealt with.

"Safe enough for ten-year-old children to wander around without any supervision," said Urahara. Seeing their look he elaborated.

"The world I sent him to is filled with weird creatures that the children collect and train. At age ten they are allowed to explore the world without a single adult present and not a single person I spoke to seemed to think anything was odd about that."

"So what does this Nelliel look like?" asked Tatsuki.

Urahara showed her two pictures. One was of Nel with her 'brothers' and the other was her in adult form.

"What's with the two forms?"

"She was attacked and lost most of her powers. The result was that she is now stuck as a toddler. Though recently she's been stuck in a ten-year-old body. Out of all the people I could have sent with him, I sent Nel because she can bring him home and still cheer him up."

Tatsuki got his reasoning immediately.

"Because she's also lost most of her powers, he won't feel so depressed around her," she said.

Urahara nodded.

Tatsuki looked at where he planned to toss the three and grimaced.

"As much as I love Naruto, that is way too easy for them to get busted. How do you work this thing again?" asked Tatsuki.

She was a manga and anime addict between matches. Enough said.

Urahara showed her, and she grinned as she panned the view before she found the perfect place to drop them at.

"Interesting...where is this?"

"The world called _Flame of Recca._ It has ninjas, a girl who heals with a weird power, and enough similar personalities that they can skate off the main characters. Besides, _Naruto-verse_ is a MILITARY ninja village, and without papers they would land in hot water pretty damn fast. Not to mention all the issues with one of the hidden sectors of the shinobi military..." said Tatsuki.

She already had an idea where Urahara left Ichigo, and frankly she agreed with him. It was a good place to dump him and let him sort himself out without getting into too much danger. Though she did manage to get him to agree to drop her off there so she could get her own team.

She liked Pokémon as a kid, and she still had a love for Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Plus she still bought the newer versions.

Urahara was going to let her join him on the condition that she not bring up home. If Ichigo learned he had dumped his Nakama in a random world to keep them away, he might strangle him barehanded when Tessai wasn't around to stop him.

Well, that and no Pokémon story was complete with a main rival.

* * *

Orihime, Rukia, and Uryu looked around...and found a note left by Urahara.

"_The device I gave Rukia is set to return you home in a month. Tatsuki went to check on Ichigo, since she is the least likely to sink him back into depression. Have fun in the world of ninjas!"_

"...I am going to kill him," said Rukia flatly.

"I'll help," said Uryu.

"What happened?" asked Orihime.

"Urahara sent us to the wrong dimension on purpose, probably with Arisawa's help," said Uryu annoyed.

"So...Ichigo isn't here?" said Orihime.

"Why would he send us to the wrong world?" asked Rukia irritated.

"What did the note say?" asked Uryu. Rukia handed it to him.

He scowled.

"He doesn't want us to send Ichigo back into depression. What does that mean?" said Rukia.

They heard a payphone ringing next to Orihime.

"Hello?"

"_Greetings Travelers! Welcome to the World of Ninja, picked by Arisawa-san! The device Rukia has will return you here in one month, so enjoy the vacation!"_

"Urahara-san, why did you drop us in the wrong world?" asked Orihime.

"You're talking to Urahara?" said Uryu. She nodded and handed over the phone.

"Urahara, what the hell is the meaning of this?" asked Uryu.

"_Right, put me on speakerphone for a moment."_

Uryu pressed a button and Urahara came out loud and clear.

"_As you all know, Ichigo lost his powers after the Winter War. What you aren't aware of is that the longer he went without his powers, the worse his depression at not being able to do anything got. Eventually Isshin-san removed him from the school in order to keep an eye on him."_

"How could Kurosaki get that depressed? He's the most stubborn person I know!" said Uryu.

"_I can't say for sure. What we do know was that he was reaching a pretty low level for him, so we decided to send him someplace where he would get his mind off not being able to help you against the hollows. The world we sent him is so safe that ten-year-old children explore the country freely with only the native animal companions to protect them. And from what Nel told me three days in, it was just what Ichigo needed to get out of his funk. Though there were some...side effects...that we hadn't anticipated..."_

"What side effects?" demanded Rukia.

"_He reverted into his ten-year-old body, though his mind remains that of his actual age. It happened to me as well, though I returned to normal once I passed through the portal again."_

"So just to be clear, you sent Ichigo into the world of Pokémon and he's stuck as a ten-year-old until he comes home?" said Orihime.

She was friends with Tatsuki, who still played the games. She only needed a basic description and she could tell where Urahara sent him.

"You're kidding. Ichigo's stuck in the world of Pokémon?" said Uryu.

"Just out of curiosity, which region is he in?" asked Orihime.

"_Well my new contact is named Oak so..."_

"Kanto. I wonder if he chose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle?"

"_From what I was told, one of Oak's scientist buddies sent him a black and red dog, as well as some sort of ghost type that fed on fear. It started with an M, I believe."_

"Houndour and Misdrevius," said Orihime.

"Orihime, how do you know so much?" asked Rukia.

"Tatsuki-chan still plays the games, and she got me hooked. Next time you call Ichigo, tell him to catch me a Clefairy or Cleffa will you Urahara-san?" said Orihime.

"_Will do! By the way, Arisawa-san said that she set the world to the 'Flame of Recca', whatever that means. The one I was planning to drop you off in had a boy wearing orange painting a mountain and being chased by adults."_

"_Naruto._ Tell Tatsuki thank you for dropping us off in a world we might actually survive from," said Uryu.

"What is Naruto?" asked Rukia, completely confused.

"_Naruto_ is a series about a young boy who was cursed from birth to carry a nine-tailed demon fox that nearly destroyed his home village. His greatest dream is to one day rise to the highest position know as the Hokage, who leads the village and prove to everyone he isn't the demon that he carries. The problem is that if Urahara had sent us _there_ without any papers, we would most likely be stuck in a torture cell because the village Naruto lives in is a _military_ ninja village."

"And going there without any papers or ID is liable to cause a repeat of when you rescued me..." said Rukia in understanding.

Uryu sighed, and prepared to wait a long month before the portal opened again...

* * *

Ichigo, when he heard the message, laughed. It was a good thing Urahara passed the message when he did, because they were about to enter Mt. Moon, which was one of the best places to capture Clefairy.

But he was curious which of his friends had opted to join him.

"Who was that Ichigo?" asked Ash.

"My teacher Urahara. He said one of my old friends decided to try their luck as a trainer...though apparently they chose to start in the Johto region and meet up with us at Cinnabar Island."

"Johto?" said Ash.

"There are several different regions. For example, you Ash are from the Kanto Region. That is where we are now," said Ichigo, pulling up a full world map on his Pokédex. He could use it to demonstrate all the areas.

"This is Kanto. This is Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. And that's just the ones that are available on this map. I'm sure there are many other areas."

"Which area are you from Ichigo?"

Ichigo thought fast, but Nel beat him to it.

"We came from an area where Pokémon aren't nearly as common. In fact, if you were to say you were a Pokémon trainer people wouldn't believe you unless you brought them out. That's why we left home to learn more about the world. We're from Nihon," said Nel.

Ichigo gave her a thumbs up for the quick save. Nihon was Japanese for Japan.

"Maybe I'll show you my house someday. But you won't find many Pokémon to catch there," said Ichigo.

"I wouldn't mind talking to your dad. He's a doctor right?" said Brock.

Ichigo turned out to be an excellent conversationalist when it came to medicine and recipes for medicine.

While Ichigo had kept up his fighting skills, in between doing his homework he also looked up books on medicine. Isshin had helped him quite a few times and despite what Uryu would say, he already knew his friend's father because Ichigo had been planning to intern at the hospital before all that soul reaper madness came into his life.

Now that he had a chance to breathe without worrying about hollows, Ichigo had had Urahara send over his old books so he could remember all the things he forgot in place of how to fight with a sword that could talk back.

It was...relaxing.

As Ichigo told them about his hometown, he felt himself relax. It was easy for him to speak of his home without remembering the reason why he had to leave. Having Kenpachi and Emeth helped his depression immensely.

He no longer felt useless.

Deep inside Ichigo's mind, he heard someone cackle in a familiar manner...and another voice trying to call out to him. What Ichigo was unaware of was that when his body reverted to his ten-year-old self...so had his powers.

Now that he really knew that just yet. Because he had learned a small amount of control over his power, he had yet to notice that being around Nel had caused his to wake up again. Though he would learn about that very, very soon...

* * *

Tatsuki was having the time of her life. She had gotten extremely lucky and found an injured Eevee when she first came here, so now she had her partner Pokémon.

Plus there was the fact that if she worked hard enough she could find a Torchic to put on her team before meeting up with Ichigo. She had a set list of Pokémon that she wanted, and one of the top ones was Blaziken because it was a Fire/Fighting type. Right next to Hitmonchan (which according to her fellow nerds happened to be based off of Jackie Chan, while Hitmonlee was based off of Bruce Lee) and Infernape, which she could wait on.

Urahara had gotten in contact with Professor Oak as soon as she dropped in, so she had been equipped with a Pokédex similar to Ichigo's. Her badge case didn't have the Gotei Thirteen flowers, but a representation on her new Nakama.

It had Orihime's hair pins along the ends, Uryu's bow on all four corners, Ichigo's swords along the top, Chad's weird arms (transformed) and now her black belt which had fire inside the belt.

She had learned while training with Yoruichi that she was a natural at the Second Division's fighting style, but for some reason her fists tended to set themselves on fire when she used her spirit energy.

Yoruichi would pop in occasionally in her human form to iron out any kinks in Tatsuki's form while dropping off some more books for her to work on.

Already she was able to go head-to-head with the Cat-woman, though she could only last for twenty seconds. But considering she got her ass kicked a month after first meeting Yoruichi and begging her to train with her, that was nothing to sneeze at.

In the meantime, Tatsuki grinned as she put Taiyo through her paces while they ran. The little Eevee would make hit and run attacks on her while they jogged, and Tatsuki would evade by practicing her shun po.

So far, she had manage to figure out how to use her spirit energy for the burst needed, but it would only last for ten seconds at a time.

All that lasted up until she ran right into a Tyrogue who was punching a rock...


	5. Chapter 5

Ichigo was refraining from cursing up a storm. Right in the middle of the damn mountain, the idiots who had attacked the Pokémon center had returned, only this time they were trying to steal all the Pokémon they had on them. Ichigo and Nel had made short work, and Pikachu proved to be stronger than he looked, but the end was easy to guess.

They had gotten completely lost and were now chasing down some Clefairy who had swiped their badge cases. Ichigo and Nel had their Pokédex around their neck, but Ash had to get his back since his bag had also been swiped.

Brock and Misty had made it out of the cave before the entrance collapsed, so chances were they were waiting for them in Cerulean City with Misty's sisters. Ichigo wasn't an idiot. He had seen Misty's face in one of the books he had read before leaving Oak's lab.

"I hate this," said Ichigo.

"Are we nearly where the Clefairy and Clefable are yet, Ichigo?" asked Ash.

"We're almost there. I can hear them," said Ichigo.

One way or another, he was catching a damn Clefairy and giving it to Orihime. She was one of the few people he fully trusted to have his back, and the fact she had made the request meant Ichigo would go out of his way to catch one for her. He even had the ball ready, as it had a pair of her hair pins crossing each other so he wouldn't forget to give it to her.

Ichigo readied his partners. Emeth would help him catch the Clefairy while Ash and Nel would retrieve their things.

Nel was about to start the distraction, but Ichigo noticed something.

"Uh guys? I think we should wait first."

"Why?" said Ash crossly.

"Because if I'm seeing this right, they're in the middle of their little Evolution dance, and if we play our cards correctly we might walk out of this with a moon stone," said Ichigo. The Clefairy were dancing around like they were hyper or something, and he had seen an episode or two of Pokémon at Tatsuki's house a few times. This was one of them.

As they watched the Clefairy evolve into Clefable, half an hour after it was all over they spotted the trio. Naturally they weren't happy, but Ichigo calmly walked up to them and bent down to eye level. Ash and Nel didn't hear what was said, but the Clefairy nodded and brought back their things.

Ash didn't see Ichigo put one of the fairy Pokémon into the Pokéball he had decorated with those odd markings. It only took another hour and some careful footwork before they reached the bottom of Mt. Moon from the outside. No one had managed to clear the rock slide, so it might be a while before anyone used this to get through the mountains.

_'Too bad I don't have Zangetsu or Shirosaki anymore. One good Getsuga Tensho or a small cero could get rid of this... Wait a minute!'_

"Hey Nel, can I ask you something?" said Ichigo in a low tone.

"What is it?"

Ichigo whispered his idea. Nel frowned for a moment before she brightened. They were half way to Cerulean when she claimed an errand of nature...and a minute later there was a minor explosion behind them.

"What the heck?" said Ash, turning around in surprise.

Ichigo made a show of turning around in surprise. Behind them the boulder which Team Rocket had dropped on the exit was blown to tiny rubble. Aside from a few rocks falling inside the cave, the rest was relatively undamaged.

Nel came back looking surprised. Ichigo flashed her a thumbs up with a grin, and Ash had no idea what just happened.

An hour later Officer Jenny passed them when she went to inspect the explosion. Ichigo snorted.

"Well at least we know we don't have far to get to the next city. Misty and Brock should be waiting for us there..." said Ichigo.

They stepped up the pace and got to Cerulean in less than an hour. Needless to say only Ash was really tired from the walk.

"So," said Ichigo, clapping his hands together, "Should we hit the Pokémon Center first or the Gym? Ash, if you want I'll let you go first this time."

"Center first, and then Gym," said Ash. He was tired, and he needed food.

* * *

"_So you were the ones to clear that blockade? How did you manage to blow up that rock?"_ asked Oak.

"Let's just say Nel had no issues with blowing up rock and leave it at that," said Ichigo.

"_Well in any case you saved them a lot of trouble clearing out that rock. Just don't tell anyone it was you two,"_ said Oak.

"Naturally. You think we want to become lab rats? Anyway, do you know a place near Cerulean city that I could find a Grass type? Since they specialize in water none of my current team would last long against them," said Ichigo.

"_There is a good sized stream about a mile outside the city. Maybe you can find some Water types there," _said Oak.

"Thanks for the tip. Would you like to talk to Ash?"

"_Bring him on! I'll pass on any messages to Delia."_

* * *

Ichigo left the Pokémon Center, leaving Ash to train with Nel for a bit while he went to get some Grass Type Pokémon, or possibly Water Type.

He was about halfway to the stream Oak mentioned (after getting directions and a refill of his First Aid kit from Nurse Joy) when he noticed some kids attacking a red and yellow Pokémon with whiskers. It had fins and was clearly gasping for air.

Ichigo immediately reacted by bowling into the kids, scooping up the fish, and taking it to the closest water source which was a fountain.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" demanded the oldest bully.

"I should be asking you the same thing! The poor thing was obviously suffering because it was out of the water!" growled Ichigo.

In response the oldest bully and his friends began to crack their knuckles menacingly. Ichigo stood his ground and growled right back.

"So that's how it's going to be huh? Fine by me!" said Ichigo. Who knew you could have a withdrawal from beating up idiots?

_30 minutes later..._

Ash and Nel had heard about a commotion with an orange haired boy and had come to see what the problem was, fearing Ichigo would get beaten up.

Instead they found Ichigo beating up a bunch of bullies. When Officer Jenny finally came back, Ichigo told her what happened and she promptly started to chastise the boys beating up the odd fish...who Ichigo learned was a level fifteen Magikarp.

Ichigo put the fish in one of his Pokéballs and took it to the Pokémon center to be treated.

* * *

"Oh my! How did this poor thing end up so far out of the river?" said Nurse Joy.

"I think the punks I beat up caught him and since he wasn't very strong decided to torture him. I put a stop to it, but I wouldn't want to be them when their parents hear what they were up to by Officer Jenny," said Ichigo.

"Are you going to release him in the stream outside town?" asked Joy.

"I'll leave it up to him whether he wants to join me or not. Just because he's weak now doesn't mean he'll be weak later," said Ichigo.

"I like the way you think young man. Most people overlook Magikarp unless they want to fill their Pokédex, but they never want to work for it's evolved form," said Joy with a laugh.

"What does it evolve into?"

Nurse Joy pulled out a book and showed him. Ichigo stared at it and then her.

"And they don't want to get off their lazy bums for something as cool as that?!"

Ichigo was a boy, and by male standards Magikarp's evolved form was pretty damn cool.

So once Magikarp was healed, he took it out to the stream like had originally planned to go and brought it out.

Ichigo went down to eye level with the fish and gave it the same option he gave Emeth when he first got him.

"Look, I know you probably don't like humans with the way those kids treated you, so I'll give you a choice. If you want to be free to go your own way, I'll release you here and now. But if you want to join me, I'll train you to become stronger. What do you say?"

The Magikarp immediately swam to Ichigo. The boy had saved him from those mean children and was willing to train him instead of throwing him back like most of the kids around here would. Besides, something told the fish that Ichigo was more interesting than half the trainers out there.

"So we're partners, eh? In that case, why don't I introduce you to the rest of the team while we train?" said Ichigo.

"Come on out, Kenpachi and Emeth!" said Ichigo.

"Geo!"

"Hound!"

* * *

Ichigo stumbled back into the Pokémon Center looking exhausted. Once he had something to eat, he went straight to bed, to the confusion of Ash and Nel. Half an hour later Nel came into the room they had rented for the night with Ichigo's Pokémon...and noticed the new addition.

It was a long snake like Pokémon with frills along the edges.

Nurse Joy was in shock when she saw it.

"How did he get it to evolve in only a few hours when it was a level fifteen?!"

* * *

Ash looked up when he saw Ichigo walk to the table yawning.

"What were you doing last night? Nurse Joy said that you got one of your team to evolve really fast..." said Ash.

"I was training them to avoid water. Wait, he evolved? I thought I had imagined that!"

Ichigo went to the large pond outside the center and released his newest Pokémon.

A long snake like Pokémon with light cream and blue coloring, a short fit and two long tendrils appeared. It's mouth was wide open.

"DOS!"

It spotted Ichigo and nuzzled him.

"Wow, who knew training to avoid water would help you evolve?" said Ichigo.

"Huh?"

"Both of my other Pokémon can't handle water attacks...so I had the Magikarp I saved splash them repeatedly until they learned to avoid water attacks on instinct. I guess it counted as experience, because Aoi here evolved into Gyarados in a day."

The Gyarados in question slapped some water on Ichigo, who grinned.

"So Ash, you manage to get a good lead on the Gym Leader yet?" he said, smirking.

"Yeah, it's Misty," said Ash sullenly. He gave Ichigo the stink eye when the boy started laughing at him.

"You knew?"

"It was in one of the books Oak lent me before we left."

"You suck," said Ash.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"Just for that, I'm not holding back on practice today..."

"...I'm doomed aren't I?"

"Very. Outside, after I eat something," said Ichigo. Nel giggled.

Ash was on the ground exhausted. Ichigo hadn't been joking, and once he explained what he was doing to Nurse Joy she was entirely for it. Apparently very few trainers bothered to train _themselves_ and their Pokémon.

Ash was sore all over, and Ichigo looked like he had only a very good workout. On the plus side, Ash did finally get started on actual fighting moves, after Ichigo made him swear not to use them on others unless the situation called for it or they were training.

Situations like the brawl Ichigo was in.

"So tell me, did you win against Misty or not?"

"Not."

"My turn today then. Then Nel gets a shot followed by you again."

Ichigo had a very simple system. Since the three of them were trying to get all eight badges needed, they would take turns, unless something came up.

It went Ichigo, Ash, Nel. Brock and Misty joined them because traveling in a group was safer than going alone, no matter how strong you were. Besides, there was something about Ichigo and Ash that just drew them together.

Ichigo went in to get a snack and to wash off the work out Ash had given him for the day before he headed to the Gym. Little did he know it was going to be a long, long day...

* * *

Ichigo was battling Misty, who was still a little annoyed at the fact that he had inadvertently gotten them in that mess with the Spearow, despite the fact it was because of Ichigo they got out of there unharmed.

"Go, Kenpachi!"

"Hound!"

"Go Staryu!"

"Kenpachi, use Shadow Ball!"

Blasts of dark orbs hit Staryu, who shrugged it off, though it still smarted.

"Staryu, Rapid Spin!"

"Kenpachi, use Agility and jump onto a different platform!"

Kenpachi ran to the edge of the platform before doing a flip to the next. He landed neatly as the Staryu crashed into the one he just left and sent a wave of water his way

After the hellish training Ichigo made him do yesterday, Kenpachi didn't think twice. A shield appeared before him as he used Protect on instinct.

"Staryu, Water Gun!" yelled Misty.

"Kenpachi, use flamethrower to counter it!" said Ichigo calmly. It would create steam and aid in hiding the dog.

"HOUND!"

A jet of hot flame burst from Kenpachi's mouth, causing the stream of water from Misty's Staryu to turn into steam and cloud the arena. What Misty didn't see because of the steam was that her Staryu was burned because Kenpachi had kept his fire going after the water died out.

"Kenpachi, Odor Sleuth! Find that Staryu!"

Kenpachi worked through the steam to find the scent of the starfish.

"Now use Crunch!"

Misty gaped when she saw Staryu after the steam cleared.

"No way...how could a Fire/Dark type beat a Water Type like Staryu?" she said in shock.

"It helps that I've been in worse battles than this."

"Staryu is unable to battle! Winner is Houndour."

"Way to go Kenpachi! You live up to your namesake!" grinned Ichigo.

"Hound!" howled Kenpachi, before a white glow enveloped him.

Where the tiny canine stood was a large dog as tall as Ichigo with curved horns. The tail was spiked like a devil's spade, and the cuff-like things around his paws had doubled. All in all, he looked more like a hellhound than ever.

Ichigo pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at Kenpachi.

"_**Houndoom, the Dark Pokémon. In ancient times, the call of this Pokémon was considered to be the cry of the Grim Reaper."**_

Ichigo couldn't help his snort at that description. He was a former Shinigami, for Kami's sake! He whistled for Kenpachi, who bound over to his trainer for a well deserved ear scratch.

"Way to go Kenpachi! You get to rest while Aoi fights this time, okay? Tomorrow we're going to have a day off!"

"Hound!" said Kenpachi, sitting down with relief. He did _not_ like water.

"Aoi?" said Misty, not liking how that name sent a shiver down her spine.

"Go, Aoi!"

Misty's eyes weren't the only ones bulging at the sight of the Gyarados.

"Where the hell did you find a Gyarados this close to Cerulean City?!" she demanded.

"I didn't. I saved a Magikarp two days ago and put my team through extensive evasion training and at the end he evolved on hs own."

And it was clear that despite a Gyarados' horrible temperament with humans, this one actually _liked_ his trainer.

"Ichigo, sometimes you scare me horribly. This is one of those times," said Misty flatly. Nel giggled on the side.

"In that case, why don't we get started on our next battle? Aoi, use Bite!"

"DOS!"

Aoi lunged at the Starmie, who narrowly avoided the jaws. Ichigo kept his cool, and went over the attacks he found on his Pokédex earlier. Starmie was having trouble fighting Aoi, because Ichigo was rather...odd...in the way he attacked.

"Headbutt!"

Aoi came up from below and sent Starmie flying through the air and into the ceiling. The jewel on the center was pulsing weakly, and Misty doubted Starmie could handle another hit like that.

"Starmie, Recover!"

"Aoi, use Water Gun!"

A stream of water forced the starfish into the wall, and it was clear the Starmie was out for the count.

"Starmie is unable to battle! Winner is Ichigo Kurosaki of Karakura!" said the referee.

"Way to go Aoi!" said Ichigo.


	6. Chapter 6

_Ichigo knew where he was. His inner world looked like it always did, with the buildings sideways and the sky clear of rain._

_A pang of sadness came to him, and he noticed that the clouds started to gather around him._

"_**Whatcha so sad for King?"** smirked a familiar hollow._

"_Because I lost you. Both of you. Never thought I would say this, but I would be happy to hear your voices again, even yours Shirosaki."_

**Ichigo, have you not noticed?**

"_Zangetsu?"_

"_**You didn't even notice that we came back? How mean King!"**_

"_Okay, this has to be a dream. Nel never mentioned sensing my powers coming back."_

**She didn't want to bring your hopes up in case she was wrong. It appears that this world has reset your soul back to when you were ten, reversing the damage caused by using Mugetsu. Your powers have been coming back steadily since you finally got over your depression of being useless.**

_Ichigo's eyes widened. His powers had been given back?_

"_How?"_

"_**Beats us. All we know is that we remember everything and we woke up right as the rain clouds were goin' away. Took us a while to find out that your powers were being returned by somethin'."**_

_Without warning, a spirit appeared in his world._

_**Greetings, Ichigo Kurosaki. I must admit, your world is more interesting than most. And it took the combined efforts of several Legendaries to restore your gift. If you help us save this world from those people, you may consider us even.**_

_The being before them looked like some sort of twisted white horse._

"_Who are you?"_

_**I am Arceus. Consider yourself lucky that so many of them owe me debts, because it took some doing to restore those powers of yours. Though I must admit, they are the most interesting ones I have ever seen.**_

"_Can I know who to thank for bringing them back?"_

_**Dialga, to reset the body. Victini, for the reserves. Cresselia and Darkrai for the shape of the energy. Zerkrom,Reshiram and Kyurem for the balance of opposing energy. Azelf, Mesprit and Uxle to restore the faith in yourself. Shaymin, to restore the life you had lost. And it took quite a few Unown to put it all together.**_

_Arceus noted his surprise. So many legends came together to save him. And they didn't even know his name._

_**While Dialga is Master of Time, it did take several months for us to see your soul and agree that it was worth the effort to restore those powers. You truly live up to your name as One Who Protects, Kurosaki Ichigo. Perhaps you can help save this world of ours.**_

_Ichigo bowed to the Pokémon, as did Zangetsu and Shirosaki. It was only because he had brought together all the others that Ichigo had been spared. Without him tying them together, the other two would die._

_Arceus vanished as easily as he had appeared. He had delivered the message that he wanted to give. Only time would tell if restoring Ichigo's powers would heal the world...or break it._

* * *

Ichigo awoke with a start, wondering if it had all be a dream. Hearing snoring when he had gotten his own room disproved that assumption, since he would recognize Shiro's tone anywhere.

He felt joy as he realized that he would no longer be useless, that he could help his friends and not have to rely solely on his team to fight.

That didn't mean he was ready to head back home and start killing hollows again.

For the first time since he first met Rukia, he had a choice in what to do with his life. He felt a familiar thrill from battling with his Pokémon partners, as he had sparring with Ikkaku, Kenpachi and Renji. And for once the world wasn't at stake, so he could actually _enjoy_ fighting for the sake of fighting.

He lay down and stared at the moon. He felt...content.

Despite the request Arceus made of him, he didn't feel as if the world were on his shoulders alone.

And that made him happy. That he could get strong at his own pace, training Ash to become a good man and helping Nel with her own problems. She was enjoying this world just as much as he was, he could tell. She wasn't being forced to kill, even if she had already made peace with that part of herself.

So yes, Ichigo fully planned to enjoy himself while he figured out what Arceus had asked him to do in return for giving him his powers back. Somehow, he had a bad feeling that it had something to do with the trio of idiots that kept harassing them. Despite being thieves, they weren't actually cruel. They clearly cared about their Pokémon, even if they weren't able to show it on the outside.

Nel was excited. Not only was Ichigo back to his old self, but it was her turn to fight the next Gym Leader, as per the agreement between them.

She could tell Ichigo was back to the way he had been when they first met, and that he was actually happy now. Occasionally he would get an odd look in his eye, as if speaking to someone they couldn't hear, but she knew he was probably talking to his zanpakuto or hollow.

Probably Shirosaki. From what she heard of Zangetsu he wasn't much of a talker to begin with.

Later that night, while they rested in the wild, she posed a question to Ichigo.

"I wonder if Zanny or Shiro could come out to play? I mean inner worlds are generally really boring, even if what you said about yours is true."

"...I have no idea. Plus there is the fact that I don't know if I can trust Shiro not to go on a sugar-rush and cause damage and make me pay for it."

Nel giggled, as she could see that happening. From what Ichigo told her of his hollow self, Shiro was like her and Yachiru. Absolute demons when hyper and on copious amounts of sugar.

Ichigo had literally banned all forms of sugar in his inner world from Shirosaki...and any alcohol from Zangetsu who was apparently a very mopy drunk.

The only time he relented on the latter was when Shiro got out of hand and it was the only way Zangetsu would let him use Bankai. Then his sword would get more plastered than Rangiku ever could, pass out, and wake up a week later with the mother of all hangovers and try to kill Shirosaki.

Usually with Ichigo cheering him on, as when Zangetsu gets a hangover, he does too.

"Yes, but eventually your team will have to meet with them, if only so you know they won't freak out."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head.

"You may be right. How did Yume react to the fact you're a ghost as well?"

"She quickly realized there was a reason why we could understand each other so well. We just match," said Nel happily.

Ichigo had learned quickly that trying to translate what the two were saying was an exercise in futility, and the only thing you would get was a massive headache.

The same went for her other Pokémon. Along the way to Cerulean, Nel had caught three other Pokémon. She now had a Goldeen (where she got that he didn't want to think about...) a Pikachu (female, and Ash's mouse wouldn't even look at her) and a purple rat.

She had named the Pikachu Tia (after the only other female Espada) which had Ichigo snort in amusement, because as far as he could recall, Tia Harribel was a blond, and she was a shark. The Goldeen Nami (apparently Urahara had shown her the One Piece manga) and the Rattata Violet.

They were going to make a side trip to the inventor of the Pokémon storage system, Bill, because Oak had called him twice and not heard a word from the man.

Ichigo was the one to hear the sound of someone screaming for help. A quick look showed him what the problem was.

Somehow Bill had gotten mixed with a Ratatta, and a Fearow was trying to eat him. Ichigo grinned as he used Shun Po to run ahead while Nel used Sonido to keep up.

Ichigo stopped the Fearow from eating the poor scientist, but it was Nel who caught him.

_One explanation and trip to the lab later..._

Ichigo and Ash pulled the switch, releasing Bill and the poor rat Pokémon that had accidentally wandered in. Ichigo was rather interested in the machine, and since Bill didn't mind allowing him to test it, Ichigo got in one. At least this time there wouldn't be any accidental merging with Pokémon...or so Bill hoped.

He had Ichigo leave his team outside before going in.

Nel pulled the lever down...and there was a flash of light. When it died down, the chamber opposite the one Ichigo climbed in opened to reveal a coughing Ichigo. Bill was about to congratulate him...except the first chamber opened revealing a second Ichigo, only with white hair and golden eyes.

Ichigo stared at his double...and the double stared back in surprise.

"YOU!"

"Wha...?" said Bill. This had never happened before.

Ichigo rubbed his head, as if to stave off a migraine.

"Why do I get the feeling that the ones who restored my ability to see human ghosts is behind this...?" he asked to no one in particular. Nel giggled.

"Uh, Ichigo...who is that?" said Ash.

"_Meh. The name's Shirosaki kid. I'm HIS other half...the dark one," _said the albino.

"Nel, could you hand me the bottle that says Ibuprofen? This is going to take some explaining..." said Ichigo. No way in hell was he about to tell them about Shiro without something for the ensuing migraine!

* * *

Once Ichigo gave them a basic explanation, not bothering to go into detail about the fact he was from another world entirely. Once he explained about the problem with split personalities (Shiro was one of the more...outspoken...that he had) he placed the blame on the fact that said 'split personality' had found his chance to be free and had taken it, resulting in two Ichigo.

Shiro was all for that explanation (since it meant Ichigo wouldn't have to tell them why he was already dead and give both of them headaches...plus being a trainer didn't sound half bad) and since he was like a less grumpy Ichigo with white hair, the normal trainers let it drop.

Though he did have to come up with his own team.

One quick call to Urahara (who dropped the news that the annual visit to Masaki's grave was coming up within a week) provided Shirosaki with a new Pokédex like Ichigo's, only white, a new badge case (this one with the symbols of the hollows instead of the Gotei thirteen), and a quick trip to the store provided him with some clothes and a new bag.

His first Pokémon? A Ghastly. The playful ghost absolutely adored his new trainer.

Ichigo paused on his way to Pallet town. Now that he had his shinigami abilities back, and Shiro had a body of his own to play in (he was taking the direct route to scare Urahara, after he got his new Ghastly to evolve anyway) he didn't have to worry about his hollow acting up.

Ash and the others would wait for him before challenging Lt. Surge, since Saffron city was close for some reason. Well, they would wait until Ichigo before leaving at any rate.

Shiro had opted to train on his own, so he could explore without Ichigo to stop him.

Ichigo had a better idea, and told him to go find Tatsuki. He was sure she could keep him in line until they met up at Cinnabar Island, and she would probably appreciate the company.

* * *

Ichigo stepped through the portal with Shiro (after saying hi to Oak and nearly giving the poor man a heart attack from seeing two Ichigo) and stretched.

Urahara was waiting for him. Ichigo grinned, then released Kenpachi.

"Kenpachi, sick 'em," said Ichigo smirking.

"AIIIEEE!" was the sound heard from the basement. Tessai and Yoruichi looked down to find...some sort of hellhound biting Urahara on the ass and not letting go. Needless to say the shapeshifter was highly amused.

"Welcome back Ichigo! I suppose this is Shiro then?" she called down, before coming down the ladder.

"Yup. He's agreed to play nice and not cause any trouble that might be pinned on me, and in exchange I leave him alone."

"You going to introduce him to your sisters?"

"Karin already knows about my shinigami duties, and I'm sure Yuzu would love to have another brother. Besides, this insures he will protect them in case things go terribly wrong."

"_Meh, so long as Isshin doesn't try to get rid of me we should get along fine,"_ said Shiro.

"ICHI-NII!" shouted Yuzu, tackling her brother. Karin was the one to notice the second Ichigo.

"Who are you?"

"_Shirosaki. You know those hollows that roam the town trying to eat people? I'm the hollow version of Ichigo."_

"So you're basically Shiro-nii?" said Yuzu. Shiro was in a special gigai, so she could see him.

"_Pretty much."_

"You're not going to eat us are you?"

"_And risk Ichigo getting pissed and forcing me to go back until hell freezes over? No thank you!"_ said Shiro.

Isshin immediately accepted Shirosaki, and promptly started making a racket about how he had two sons now. Ichigo and Shiro booted him in the head to make him shut up.

"Which reminds me...I come bearing presents," said Ichigo. He had captured a few Pokémon for his sisters to protect them. Apparently Pokémon attacks could hurt hollows, as long as they could damage ghost types anyway.

Karin immediately loved her new Growlithe, who she named Mamoru. And Yuzu was charmed by her Jigglypuff. Ichigo had made sure that the thing knew Bite just in case.

"Want to meet the others?" said Ichigo.

Kenpachi, Emeth (who was now a Graveler) and Shirosaki's Ghastly Cassie came out.

He would have named it Casper, but apparently it was female. So Cassie.

"I have another one, but it's too big for the clinic," said Ichigo.

"COOL!" said Karin.

* * *

Ichigo knocked on the door of Orihime's apartment. She opened it looking rather tired.

"Uh, hi Orihime. What happened to you?"

"Urahara miscalculated on the return trip. I'm glad to see you looking better Ichigo," said Orihime with a yawn.

Ichigo dropped a Pokéball in her hand. It had her pins on it.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it. Toss it in the air and see," said Ichigo.

Orihime tossed it on the couch, and it popped open.

"Clefairy!"

She was wide awake now.

"You actually brought me a Clefairy?" she said with delight.

"I asked one if it wouldn't mind being partnered with a good friend of mine, and that one agreed to it. Know where I can find Uryu? I have one for him too," asked Ichigo.

"Hospital. Ask his father, because last I checked he wasn't allowed any visitors. He had a harder time than I did on the way back."

"Thanks."

Ichigo was trying not to laugh at the look Uryu shot him when he saw his Pokémon.

Ichigo had caught an Abra right before leaving Bill's house, and immediately thought of Uryu. It looked so much like a doll that it was unlikely Uryu's dad would get rid of it. He had yet to catch one that he knew Chad would like. Personally he was leaning towards a Grass starter...like Turtwig or Chikorita.


End file.
